


three kinds of dates

by vaahtokarkki



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Chocolate, Ensemble Stars! Secret Valentine 2019, Female Pronouns for Narukami Arashi, First Dates, Fluff, I was given three prompts to choose from but I couldn't choose so I wrote drabbles on each. whoops, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-28
Updated: 2019-02-28
Packaged: 2019-11-07 01:14:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17950808
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vaahtokarkki/pseuds/vaahtokarkki
Summary: The prompts were as follows;kaoru and kanata - kanata insists on giving kaoru his 'home-made valentine's chocolates,' despite kaoru's every persistent refusal.kaoru and arashi -80s style restaurant,a giant milkshake, and one straw.kaoru and rei - neither of them have dates, but that's kind of alright.





	1. kaoru/kanata

**Author's Note:**

> here's my gift for the secret valentine exchange, for @ tetrastreamers on twitter! I liked all of the prompts, so I wrote a little something on each of them. starting with kaokana!

Kaoru Hakaze is a simple boy when it comes to Valentine’s Day. Chocolates from cute girls, perhaps a date with one of those girls, a day filled with nothing but fun.

Being an idol, his schedule doesn’t allow for a date, but chocolates and fun are still on the table. In fact, he’s got plenty of chocolates already; the regular course students have been braver at approaching idols today, and Kaoru has rewarded everyone (even boys) with a few kind words, a smile, and a wink.

UNDEAD is meeting up in an hour, so Kaoru sits in the 3A classroom, catching some peace and quiet. His chocolates are on the table, and whether handmade or store-bought, they’re all cute and neatly wrapped. Most have tiny messages attached to them. Damn, he really is lucky --

Someone knocks on the door, but before Kaoru can react, the door flies open. A classmate, or someone in UNDEAD coming to fetch him early? He told Rei where he was going, after all.

Turns out, neither. Instead, Kanata, carrying what looks like chocolate on a tray. Fish… shaped chocolate?

“Kanata-kun”, Kaoru greets. “Your classroom is the next door over.”

“I ‘know’ that, Kaoru”, Kanata gives him a look. “I came to ‘see’ you.”

“Me? What for?” Kaoru blinks. “Aw, did you come to give me chocolate? You know I’d prefer to not get any from boys~”

(Okay, _not_ true, but Kanata pouts at the words, and it’s _cute_.)

“You will accept ‘this’ chocolate”, Kanata insists, closing the door behind him. “I made it for ‘you’.”

Handmade? Kaoru would be lying if he said that _didn’t_ make something flutter inside him.

“Maybe I’ll consider -- um.”

Kanata walks closer, and what Kaoru thought was chocolate in the shape of a fish, is actually a fish wrapped in some chocolate.

Like, a real, proper, once-living fish.

Kanata looks very proud of his fish. Kaoru feels just a tiny bit sick.

“Kaoru”, Kanata says cheerfully, offering the tray. “Will you ‘accept’ my gift~?”

“Wait, wait, but it’s a fish?”

“Fish make the ‘best’ gifts”, Kanata offers the tray again. “Kaoru~ if you are ‘shy’, I will ‘feed’ you~”

“I’m not--!”

“Say ‘aah’~”

Kanata picks up a bite-sized piece of the chocolate fish, and holds it up. Seriously? Seriously?!

Kaoru wants to refuse, this time more firmly, but he takes another look at Kanata’s face, and he -- he just can’t. Kanata’s eyes are shining, the edges crinkled to emphasise his smile.

And Kaoru can’t refuse.

“O-okay. Aah…” Kaoru opens his mouth, and Kanata happily feeds him the piece. Somewhere deep inside, Kaoru was hoping for a miracle, that this would actually taste _good,_ but that hope was futile. The chocolate itself is decent, but it clashes with the fish.

“How is it?” Kanata asks, and Kaoru contemplates on the pros and cons of lying.

“Um, it’s… interesting?”

“Hm”, Kanata pouts. “You do not ‘like’ it… luckily, I have a ‘solution’~”

This could end in a potentially terrible way, but once again, Kanata is too enthusiastic for Kaoru to refuse. He feels like he might regret these words, but says them anyway.

“Well… what is this solution?”

“This”, Kanata digs into one of his pockets, and -- yep. What he takes out is a bottle of soy sauce.

Kaoru feels decidedly a tiny bit sick.

Kanata pours some soy sauce to the bottom of the tray, and when he picks up the next piece, he rolls it around in soy before offering it to Kaoru.

“What do I get if I eat that?” Kaoru asks, half jokingly, but Kanata tilts his head, deep in thought.

“I will be your ‘date’ today?” he says slowly.

“D-d-date?!” Kaoru sputters.

“Does Kaoru not ‘want’ a date?” Kanata asks, leaning closer. Kaoru watches soy sauce drip from the chocolate fish.

“Well, yes, but… is the fish an absolute requirement?”

“Silly”, Kanata giggles. “You do not ‘need’ to eat this to ‘take’ me on a ‘date’.” He leans even closer, offering the fish. “It would just make me ‘happy’.”

After such an argument, how could Kaoru refuse?


	2. kaoru/arashi

Kaoru makes a habit of not getting nervous on dates, but not always is it possible -- such as in a case where his date is from a rival unit. Usually when he goes out with a girl, the repercussions of screwing up don’t include the wrath of her whole unit.

 _It’s fine,_ Rei reassured him. _Worst that can happen is they challenge us to a duel. Or just you, who knows?_

Right. That’s not bad at all.

Kaoru arrives early, as is his habit, and he’s starting to feel less nervous. So they go to the same school? A date is still a date, and he knows what to do on dates.

So when Arashi steps inside the cafe, Kaoru is feeling rather good.

“Kaoru-chan!” she greets, waving her hand with a bright smile on her face. And while Kaoru knows she calls _everyone_ like that, the way she says his name still warms his cheeks.

“H-hi”, he stutters, then clears his throat. “Hi.”

“Hi”, she tilts her head playfully. “You look nice -- I like the ponytail.”

“Thanks”, Kaoru’s hand instinctively lifts up to touch his hair. “You look -- beautiful.”

“Thank you”, Arashi twirls around. She’s wearing a long summer dress that flows around her when she spins, adorned with floral patterns. On top of her head, sits a large hat, and when Kaoru looks down, he finds that she’s wearing heels.

She seems comfortable in this clothing, in a way she never does in her school uniform. Now, Kaoru knows that asking her out was the right choice.

“Come on, let’s order”, Kaoru reaches out for her hand. “I’m paying, so ask for whatever you want.”

“Ooh, a gentleman”, Arashi smiles, taking his hand. “I like that. I’m craving a milkshake?”

“Anything else?”

“Mm… I want to share it with you”, she looks at Kaoru from under her eyelashes. “If you like milkshakes?”

“Y… yeah”, Kaoru swallows. “What flavour?”

“Surprise me”, Arashi takes his other hand as well, just for a moment, and then lets go. “I’ll wait at the table.”

* * *

 It turns out, _one large mint chocolate milkshake with two straws_ is an unclear instruction.

Arashi can’t stop laughing after Kaoru helplessly sets down their milkshake with a _single_ straw that parts into two in the middle.

“For couples, I suppose”, Kaoru mutters.

“Don’t you _dare_ get another straw. This is _cute_ ”, Arashi finally manages to stop giggling.

They _are_ on a date, but it still feels a bit embarrassing. But Arashi seems unfazed, so Kaoru seats himself without further protests.

Arashi tastes the milkshake on her side of the straw, and her eyes light up.

“Oh, mint!”

“Gives it a kick, right?” Kaoru tastes it as well. It’s not his favourite flavour, but he seems to have made a good choice.

“Mm”, Arashi smiles. “You know, maybe I was wrong about you.”

“How so?” Kaoru blinks.

“You see, I like hardworking boys the best, right? And when I asked Izumi-chan, he said you’re the opposite of that."

“Ouch”, Kaoru winces.

“But, maybe that’s not entirely true?”

“Entirely.”

“Kaoru-chan”, Arashi reaches over to tap him on the nose with a finger. “I’m trying to tell you that you’re cute and I’m glad you asked me out.”

“Oh”, Kaoru feels a blush creep up his face, “really?”

“Rea~lly”, Arashi leans closer, and now Kaoru can spot she’s wearing lipgloss. “Thank you for inviting me here.”

“It has been my pleasure”, Kaoru leans over the table, eyes darting to her lips again. He lays a hand over hers on the table. “Are you _sure_ there’s nothing else you’d want?”

“Hm~m”, Arashi hums. “Maybe a piece of that fruit tart on the display case?”

“Ah - of course.” Kaoru begins to stand up, but Arashi tugs him back by the hand, laughing.

“I’m kidding, silly. Is anyone watching?”

“No?” Kaoru scans the room, until Arashi cups his cheek to turn his face back to her.

“Good”, she whispers, before kissing him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was my first time writing arashi, so I hope I did okay! I really wanted to give her cute summer clothes, so I decided to make it a summer date instead of the more obvious valentine's date.


	3. kaoru/rei

Rei ends Valentine’s Day without a date.

It’s not that he _couldn’t_ have one, if he so desired; rather that he _wouldn’t_ have one. Some people asked, but he refused them all. It would have felt wrong to go out with someone he doesn’t even know -- like he was giving them false hope.

Rei heads to the Light Music Club room, meaning to relax a little before heading home. Their live has left him weary, and he doesn’t want to walk that much just yet --

To his surprise, there’s someone else in the room.

“Kaoru-kun”, Rei closes the door behind him. “Fancy seeing you here.”

“That should be my line”, Kaoru blinks at him.

“This _is_ my club room”, Rei chuckles. “Should you be here right now? Surely, there’s girls who would love to go out with you on a day like this?”

“Aw, Sakuma-san, I thought I told you”, Kaoru laughs, just a bit embarrassed, “that I’ve been making effort to be more responsible. It won’t do to be frivolous about dates, see~? Preparing for today’s performance, I didn’t have time to get a serious date.”

“Oho? Kaoru-kun passing on a perfectly good day for a date… still seems strange”, Rei walks closer. “Well, we’re in the same boat there. I’m just curious about why you’re not in your own club room?”

“Kanata-kun is spending time with the fish”, Kaoru sighs. “More like he’s _doting_ on them. Watching a boy my age sweet-talk fish isn’t my favourite relaxation technique.”

Rei laughs at that, a toothy grin, and Kaoru almost looks proud at the reaction he drew out.

“And now you’re here.”

“And now I’m… here”, Kaoru affirms. “Hey, if you don’t have a date either… wanna hang out? Like, as… not-dates? Um… as…”

“Friends?” Rei supplies helpfully, and Kaoru nods.

“That! Friends.”

“I do consider us friends, if that’s what you’re concerned about.”

“Ah”, Kaoru mutters, cheeks flushing pink. “I’m glad.”

Oh, he’s _adorable._ Is this how all those girls fall for him? After he manages to simultaneously be clueless _and_ charming?

“But yes, I would love to… ‘hang out’. As friends.”

“Great! Uh…” Kaoru shifts his weight from one leg to another, then back.

Rei is beginning to think he doesn’t do this often. Maybe he should help him out.

“Come on, then, Kaoru-kun”, Rei chuckles, and by impulse, he takes Kaoru by the hand. Kaoru’s eyes go wide, but in the end, he allows Rei to tug him along.

* * *

 Valentine’s Day cleaning is still ongoing, and the school is filled with balloons and other decorations. Feeling particularly brave and playful, Rei stops walking when they pass an array of balloons, different shades of pink and all heart-shaped. He plucks one from among the rest, and holds it out to Kaoru.

“For my _friend_ ”, he bows, and the gesture has the desired effect; when he looks back up, Kaoru is blushing. He seems to hesitate for just a moment before taking the balloon from Rei.

“Thank you”, Kaoru’s voice is quiet. He looks at the balloon, then tilts his head, thoughtful. “Wanna see if anyone left any chocolate behind?”

“You didn’t get enough gifts?”

“All the chocolate today has been made with love. It shouldn’t be thrown away, right?”

“Kaoru-kun, you’re a romantic”, Rei laughs.

“M-maybe. Come on, let’s go”, and now it’s Kaoru who takes Rei by the hand and starts tugging him along.

* * *

 They pick and pluck more balloons, and eventually find their way to the kitchen, with a treasure trove of abandoned chocolate. Rei doesn’t eat much -- he’s not too fond of sweet food -- and Kaoru stops after he takes a bite of something that seems to have been left behind on purpose.

“This one should’ve been thrown away”, Kaoru coughs and sputters.

“Even though it was made with love?” Rei can hardly keep himself from laughing at Kaoru’s distress.

“I retract my earlier statement. Not all chocolate deserves to be eaten”, Kaoru eyes suspiciously the rest of the chocolates around them. “Let’s --”

The door to the kitchen clicks, and Kaoru jumps. Rei tenses, too; it’s getting late, so is it someone coming to clean up, or someone coming to check there are no students lingering around anymore?

“Let’s hide”, Rei suggests. Kaoru looks at him, nods, and -- pushes him down behind a counter. The action surprises Rei, and he grabs Kaoru’s sleeve for support, inadvertently pulling Kaoru on top of him.

Someone enters the room, and the two of them fall incredibly still and quiet. Rei hardly dares to breathe, Kaoru’s arms on both sides of his body, their faces now so close to each other’s that Rei can see the sheen of sweat on Kaoru’s skin.

Kaoru seems to be experiencing something, too, as evidenced by the widening of his eyes and the quickening of his heartbeat, which Rei can smell this close, thanks to his generally useless vampire senses.

The third person is still in the room, but Rei can barely remember that, and Kaoru’s expression seems to reflect his own. Rei lets his eyes drop to Kaoru’s lips, slightly parted and so inviting. They tremble lightly when Rei instinctively leans closer.

The door shuts behind the intruder, and they’re gone. Rei can feel the tension leaving his body, and he closes his eyes with a shaky exhale.

“Well, that was --” Rei begins, sighing, but he doesn’t finish the sentence. A warm puff of air fans against his lips, and suddenly, he doesn’t feel like speaking.

When Rei slowly opens his eyes, Kaoru is even closer, half-lidded gaze on Rei’s mouth. He looks up, like a question, and Rei responds by moving his head just enough for their lips to meet.

Kaoru is the one to break the kiss, and he looks dazed, almost surprised.

“Kaoru-kun?” Rei asks.

“Mm…?”

“Can we call this a date now?”

Kaoru laughs, then plops his head helplessly on Rei’s shoulder.

“Only if you kiss me again.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as for the name of the fic, kanata kind of asked kaoru on a date, and reikao kind of ended up on a date as well. so, technically, three dates.


End file.
